Page 34 of Love at a 7-Eleven

"She fainted when she heard about… why did she faint?"

He shook his head. "I thought I might not even mention it to you."

"Did she faint when you told her about me?"

"I should have said it differently to her," he said. "She doesn’t even remember, anyway. I didn't want to lie to you."

"Yeah, we don't need to lie," I said, even though it felt like a lot to take in.

He reached over and took my hand. He held it to his chest, and I leaned against him, sighing comfortably. "Lila, it's been a long day, and I cannot imagine a better end to it. I feel like I'm dreaming right now, having you here. I am so happy you're here that I might just sit in that chair and watch you sleep all night."

I grinned and stretched up to put another kiss on his cheek. "I would not mind that," I said, even though I knew he was joking.

"How long can you stay?"

I shrugged. "A few days. Marcus and Sasha called me about doing a baby shower for one of the team wives. I'm going to meet with them on Wednesday."

"Oh, that's great," he said.

"I was thinking you could come back to Chicago with me," I said.

He glanced at me like he was trying to figure out what I was saying. "Like, come visit?" he asked.

"I would take a visit even though I want you to get a place there." I smiled at him and shrugged like I was joking around. I wanted him near me so much that I felt vulnerable talking about it. He put his arm around my shoulder and held me near him.

"Does your family know where you are?"

"Yes, of course. My mom does. She knows I'm in L.A. I didn't tell her the details."

"Do they know you're with me?"

"No," I said honestly. "I didn't know what I was coming into, and I didn't want to make her worry. She thinks I'm here with my friend, Mark."

"You have a friend named Mark who you take trips with?" He sounded surprised, and I smiled. I wanted him to be jealous of me after all this talk of Bailey.

"It's Mark from church, remember? Way back from youth group."

"The computer guy? The bowler?"

"That's him. He's successful now. He can take trips when he wants. He's a friend. He's non-threatening. My mom would believe me if I said he and I were meeting here to do some sightseeing. She did believe it because that's what I told her." I shrugged shyly. "I would tell her that I'm here for you, but I didn't know what I was—"

"No, I get it."

I pulled back and stared at him. His face with the stubble in all the right places, he was just so gorgeous. I stared at the curves of his face.

"What do you get?"

"Your parents probably wouldn't approve."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, staring at him.

He shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know. Parents can usually go either way about me."

I touched the side of his face. It was like a work of art. "Surely you're not concerned about what my parents think about you," I said. "Not when you’ve got success and such… purpose and assurance in your life."

He gave me a shrug. "I'm just saying, I figured you told them you were with Mark because they'd be wary of me."

I leaned in closer, staring at him. I spoke quietly, my face only inches from his. "I didn't lie because of that. I lied because I wasn't sure what I was coming into tonight. I wasn't sure you wouldn't break my heart, Caleb. I'm the only girl, and my family's really protective. I didn't want you to suffer their scorn if I came home disappointed."

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